Logan Reed: "Your memory is that good?!"

Logan Reed vaguely remembered that before the child's voice started singing the nursery rhyme, there really was a mention of a time. But at that moment, he had been terrified, so how could he have paid attention to the time, let alone remembered it. Yet Brian Carter actually remembered?

In fact, Brian Carter was also surprised; he had noticed that his memory seemed unusually sharp now. For example, he still remembered that the Minnie on the little girl's pink backpack wore a yellow bow and that she was holding a pink lollipop.

When did his memory get this good?

There was no time to think about that now.

Brian Carter said calmly, "Let's temporarily assume that two hours count as one day. The nursery rhyme says, 'If you don't speak for three days and three nights, the little girl will die after three days.' So... this 'night' is also presumed to be two hours, and during the 'night,' the demon comes out to burn the bookshelves."

For the next stretch of time, Brian Carter and Logan Reed stared wide-eyed, keeping a close watch on those twenty-three pitch-black bookshelves.

Although they knew the game forbade violence, the fear of the unknown swept over them both, and they gripped their batons tightly, seeking some psychological comfort.

However, after an hour and a half, they hadn't seen a single person, nor had they witnessed any bookshelves being set on fire.

Logan Reed: "Is there really a demon?"

Brian Carter pressed his lips together, his gaze shifting over Logan Reed: "There should be."

"Then why hasn't it burned the bookshelves yet?"

Brian Carter leaned against the service desk, saying meaningfully, "I also want to know why it hasn't burned the bookshelves yet."

Logan Reed didn't understand what he meant, but Brian Carter had already turned his head, gripping his baton and looking at Logan Reed with a deep gaze: "Mr. Brooks, why do you think the demon hasn't burned—"

"Boom!"

A massive explosion suddenly erupted in the library.

Brian Carter widened his eyes and looked toward the source of the explosion, only to see, in an instant, flames soaring to the sky, a raging fire engulfing the seventh row of bookshelves. The enormous blaze looked terrifying in the library, illuminating everything. Brian Carter and Logan Reed had been watching that spot the entire time, but even after the flames died down, they never saw anyone appear from there.

On the second day, the little girl once again skipped over with her Minnie backpack.

"Haven't you found my book yet? My mom went to Uncle Mole's house today, and I managed to keep it from her. She hasn't discovered my book was stolen yet. I can't hide it from my mom for long—she'll definitely find out. When will you help me find my book?"

Brian Carter's face was a bit pale. He rubbed his temples. "Did you remember any clues about the book today?"

The little girl said unhappily, "I told you, I don't remember, I don't remember, I don't remember!"

Brian Carter reminded her, "This is the second day."

As soon as he said this, the little girl fell silent, but Brian Carter could sense that beneath all those layers of mosaic, she was probably giving him a very strange look. She said, "You're an angel. You've read so many books, of course you know which book it is. I'm not an angel—I hate reading the most. How would I know any clues about a book? Clearly, you're the one who knows!"

"Ding dong! Angel has received Hint 2: 'Contempt from the Mosaic.'"

Brian Carter: "..."

Author's note: Brian Carter: Can I really not beat her to death!!!

Chapter 5 Brian Carter: Isn't this it?

The mosaic skipped away, but the hints she left behind were stranger and stranger.

Brian Carter took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to beat the mosaic little girl to death.

It's "daytime" now, the demon has disappeared, and the angel can move about freely. After spending several hours in this strange place, both Brian Carter and Logan Reed were no longer so nervous or uneasy. The two of them, holding their batons, walked over to the burned bookshelf. Brian Carter crouched down and carefully examined the bookshelf that had been reduced to ashes.

There were twenty-three bookshelves on the third floor of the library, and this time, the one that burned was the ninth bookshelf from the service desk.

This was a type I bookshelf, mostly filled with geography books, including travel guides from home and abroad, geography textbooks, and some books on religion. Now, all of them had been burned to ashes. The wooden bookshelf had turned to charcoal, lying blackened on the ground, and the books had formed a small mountain of black ash. Brian Carter reached out and touched the ash.

"Not hot."

Logan Reed looked at him. "Not hot?"

Brian Carter nodded. "Yeah, according to the child's voice, a whole night has passed since this bookshelf was burned, so it's possible it's not hot anymore. But for us, only half an hour has passed. Never mind how they managed to burn such a big bookshelf and over ten thousand books to nothing in just half an hour—just the fact that this ash isn't hot... Human common sense can't explain it."

Logan Reed said matter-of-factly, "It was burned by a demon, of course it can't be explained by science."

What was happening to them was already beyond the scope of theoretical science; a few more strange things didn't make much difference.